U.S. patent number 4,840,086 [Application Number 07/193,722] was granted by the patent office on 1989-06-20 for device for fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ste Look. Invention is credited to Rene M. R. Bidal.
United States Patent |
4,840,086 |
Bidal |
June 20, 1989 |
Device for fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal
Abstract
A device for fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal essentially
comprises at least one retaining member attached to the
undersurface of the sole of the shoe, the retaining member being
provided with a rear retaining recess having a rearwardly directed
opening and with a front retaining recess having a forwardly
directed opening. Rear and front anchoring members on the pedal are
provided respectively with rear and front anchoring elements
located at a longitudinal distance from each other which is
slightly shorter than or equal to the distance between the rear
retaining recess and the front retaining recess of the retaining
member attached to the shoe so as to be capable of engaging and
locking respectively within the rear retaining recess and the front
retaining recess in order to fix the shoe on the pedal.
Inventors: |
Bidal; Rene M. R. (Labalme Sur
Cerdon, FR) |
Assignee: |
Ste Look (Nevers,
FR)
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Family
ID: |
9352345 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/193,722 |
Filed: |
May 13, 1988 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jun 22, 1987 [FR] |
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87 08730 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
74/594.6; 36/131;
74/594.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62M
3/086 (20130101); Y10T 74/2168 (20150115); Y10T
74/217 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B62M
3/00 (20060101); B62M 3/08 (20060101); G05G
001/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;74/594.6,594.4,594.5
;36/131,132 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0029192 |
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May 1981 |
|
EP |
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0146454 |
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Jun 1985 |
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EP |
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2240102 |
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Feb 1974 |
|
DE |
|
2564414 |
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Nov 1085 |
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FR |
|
2510967 |
|
Feb 1983 |
|
FR |
|
2556687 |
|
Apr 1986 |
|
FR |
|
2588235 |
|
Apr 1987 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Luong; Vinh
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Young & Thompson
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for fastening a shoe to a bicycle pedal, which
comprises in combination:
at least one retaining member attached to the underface of the sole
of the shoe, said retaining member being provided with a rear
retaining recess which opens rearwardly and with a front retaining
recess which opens forwardly,
a bicycle pedal comprising a pedal body having a spindle and
carrying a rear anchoring member and a front anchoring member, said
anchoring members being adapted for respectively being engaged
inside said rear and front retaining recesses of said retaining
member attached to the underface of said sole of the shoe,
each of said anchoring members being formed of a length of
resilient metal wire,
said metal wire forming the rear anchoring member comprising two
horizontal arms joined to one another so as to define between said
arms an obtuse angle which faces said pedal,
said metal wire forming said front anchoring member comprising a
horizontal transverse arm spaced from and attached to said pedal by
two rearwardly extending portions of said metal wire, a slight kink
being formed between said rearwardly extending portions in a
central portion of said transverse arm,
said kink capable of engaging said front retaining recess of said
retaining member atached to the sole of said shoe, while the apex
of said obtuse angle of said rear anchoring member is engaged
inside said rear retaining recess of said retaining member.
2. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said rear
anchoring member comprises two elbowed arms extending vertically
from said pedal body, said arms being provided at their upper
extent with extensions comprising said two horizontal arms of said
rear anchoring member.
3. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said front
anchoring member comprises two lateral arms extending substantially
horizontally in the forward direction from said pedal body, said
two lateral arms converging towards each other and being provided
with upward extensions in the form of substantially vertical arms
which are joined to each other at the upper extent thereof by said
horizontal transverse arm.
4. A fastening device according to claim 3, wherein the horizontal
transverse arm of the front anchoring member defines an obtuse
angle which faces said pedal body.
5. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said retaining
member comprises a longitudinal strip on the rear end of which is
formed said rearwardly directed recess which recess is delimited at
a lowermost portion thereof by a rearward extension, while said
front end of said strip includes said forwardly directed recess
which is delimited at a lowermost portion thereof by a forward
extension, said forward extension having a bottom surface which is
rounded in the downward and rearward direction.
6. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said body of
said pedal comprises two spaced apart lateral portions which are
joined to each other by means of a transverse crosspiece of
narrower width than said two lateral portions, said spindle
traversing said pedal body through said transverse crosspiece.
7. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said obtuse
angle defined by said two horizontal arms of said rear anchoring
member ranges from about 120.degree. to 130.degree..
8. A fastening device according to claim 1, further including means
to adjust the positioning of said front and rear anchoring members
in relation to said pedal body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for fastening a shoe on a
bicycle pedal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to maintain a cyclist's shoe firmly in position of a
bicycle pedal, it is a current practice to employ toe-clips which
serve to exert not only efforts of downward thrust but also efforts
of upward traction. Although the use of toe-clips enables a cyclist
to become perfectly integrated with his machine, it is for this
very reason that there is also a serious potential danger in the
event of a fall while cycling. In order to overcome this
disadvantage, it has been endeavored to find other devices for
fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal, essentially with a view to
improving the connection between the shoe and the pedal while at
the same time permitting easy disengagement of the shoe in the
event of a fall. One of these known devices is described in patent
No. FR-A-2,556,687. This device comprises a pedal which makes it
possible to obtain a good connection with a shoe but is
nevertheless subject to a certain number of drawbacks. In the first
place, the pedal is relatively heavy and cumbersome, its
streamlining is imperfect and the possibilities of release of the
shoe are limited since separation of the shoe, once this latter is
engaged, can take place only by outward rotation of the foot.
Moreover, engagement of the shoe in the pedal makes it necessary
for the cyclist to look at the pedal in order to fit the toe-clip
by reason of the fact that the toe end of the shoe has to be
engaged first. Finally, the presence of a support plate which is
fixed beneath the shoe and is necessary for the purpose of locking
the pedal/foot pair makes it impossible to walk with this type of
shoe. This support plate is provided with engagement points which
have no relief openings and are liable to clog immediately if the
cyclist places his foot in mud, for example. The numerous
consequences can readily be imagined and limit the economic scope
of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages
by providing a particularly simple and lightweight fastening device
which is not liable to clog, which is easy to manufacture, which is
streamlined and permits very easy engagement of the shoe.
To this end, said device for fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal
essentially comprises at least one retaining member attached to the
underface of the sole of the shoe, said retaining member being
provided with a rear retaining recess having a rearwardly directed
opening and with a front retaining recess having a forwardly
directed opening, provision being made on the pedal for rear and
front anchoring members provided respectively with rear and front
anchoring elements located at a longitudinal distance from each
other which is slightly shorter than or equal to the distance
between the rear retaining recess and the front retaining recess of
the retaining member or members attached to the shoe so as to be
capable of engaging and locking respectively within the rear
retaining recess and the front retaining recess in order to fix the
shoe on the pedal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a device for
fastening a shoe on a bicycle pedal in accordance with the
invention.
FIG. 2 is a profile view of the pedal.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pedal.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pedal.
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the shoe which carries the coupling
strip.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views illustrating the
different steps of the operation involving engagement of the shoe
on the pedal.
FIG. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of an alternative
embodiment comprising two independent retaining hooks beneath the
sole of the shoe.
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the shoe comprising two independent
retaining hooks.
FIG. 10 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the
pedal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device in accordance with the invention has the intended
function of fastening a shoe as represented partially by its sole 1
on a bicycle pedal 2 which is rotatably mounted in the conventional
manner on the horizontal pedal spindle 3 of a pedal crank gear.
The fastening device comprises beneath the sole 1 a longitudinal
retaining strip 4 which is attached to the sole 1 by any suitable
means. Said retaining strip 4 can be flush-mounted by means of a
base 4a within a longitudinal groove formed in the bottom face of
the sole 1 and can be fixed by means of screws. Said retaining
strip 4 also has a central portion 4b of greater thickness which
extends over the greater part of the length of the base 4a and has
an underface 4c. At the rear end of the central portion 4b of the
strip 4 is formed a recess 4d which is directed horizontally toward
the rear and the lower portion of which is delimited by a nose 4e.
At its front end, the strip 4 is provided with a recess 4f which is
directed toward the front end, which is of smaller depth than the
recess 4d and the lower portion of which is delimited by a nose 4g
which is directed toward the front end. Said recess 4f has a bottom
surface 4h which is advantageously rounded in the downward and
rearward direction and which is joined to the underface 4c.
The pedal 2 is so designed as to carry a rear anchoring member 5
and a front anchoring member 6 which are adapted to cooperate with
the retaining strip 4. These front and rear anchoring members 5 and
6 can consist of two lengths of bent piano wire which are fixed in
the central body 7 of the pedal, preferably in an adjustable
manner, said central body being advantageously formed of molded
plastic. Said pedal body 7 has two lateral portions 7a, 7b of
substantial thickness which are joined to each other by means of a
cross-piece 7c of smaller width, said cross-piece being traversed
by the spindle of the pedal 2.
The rear anchoring member 5 has two elbowed arms 5a, 5b which
extend from the point of emergence from the two thick lateral
portions 7a, 7b of the pedal body 7. Said elbowed portions 5a, 5b
are extended at the upper ends thereof by two horizontal arms 5c,
5d which join each other so as to form a forwardly-directed open
obtuse angle of approximately 120.degree. to 130.degree..
Preferably, the two horizontal arms 5c and 5d are joined to each
other by means of a short transverse arm 5e at the location
corresponding to the vertex of the obtuse angle. Said short central
arm 5e which may be provided if necessary with a vertical flat
portion 5f on the front face thereof is intended to fit within the
rear recess 4d of the retaining strip 4 in the attachment position
as shown in FIG. 1. The flat portion 5f produces a triangulation
effect which hardens the system at the time of disengagement.
The front anchoring member 6 which is also formed of piano wire has
two lateral arms 6a, 6b which extend substantially horizontally in
the forward direction from the two thick portions 7a, 7b of the
pedal 7. These two lateral arms 6a, 6b converge toward each other
and extend upwards in the form of respective bent arms 6c, 6d which
are substantially vertical. These bent vertical arms 6c, 6d are
joined together at the upper ends by means of a horizontal and
transverse arm in the form of an obtuse angle in the vicinity of
180.degree. which is open toward the rear. The central portion of
the horizontal arm has a slight kink 6e which is formed in the
upper rear portion of this latter and located between two shoulders
6f, 6g constituted by rearwardly extending bosses.
The distance a between the short central arm 5e of the rear
anchoring member 5 and the kink 6e of the front anchoring member 6
is chosen so as to be equal to or slightly shorter than the
distance between the bottom of the rear recess 4d and the bottom of
the front recess 4f of the retaining strip so as to carry out the
attachment as indicated in the foregoing.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the manner in which the shoe is fastened
to the pedal 2. Normally, when the pedal 2 is free, it assumes a
vertical position by reason of its unbalance with respect to its
spindle 3. In this vertical position, the rear anchoring member 5
and front anchoring member 6 are located respectively in top and
bottom positions while being directed toward the front. In order to
engage each shoe, the cyclist places the shoe in front of the pedal
in a position in which it is slightly inclined in the downward
direction as shown in FIG. 6. While moving the shoe backwards, the
cyclist then causes engagement of the short central arm 5e of the
rear anchoring member 5 within the rear recess 4d of the retaining
strip 4. The arms 5c, 5d of the rear anchoring member 5 then
perform a guiding function so as to bring the rear recess 4d
opposite to the central arm 5e. The cyclist then produces a pivotal
displacement of the pedal 2 in the anticlockwise direction,
whereupon it is only necessary to exert a slight pressure on the
shoe in the forward direction in order to lock this latter on the
pedal 2. In fact, as shown in FIG. 7, during this movement, the
curved bottom ramp 4h of the front nose 4g exerts a slight forward
thrust on the central portion 6e of the front anchoring member 6
and said central portion then returns elastically toward the rear
while falling into its housing within the front recess 4f. From
this moment onwards, the shoe is securely attached to the pedal 2
while resting solely on the two anchoring members 5, 6 without any
contact with the pedal body 7, as shown in FIG. 1. The front recess
4f of the retaining strip 4 is then retained laterally by the two
shouldered portions 6f, 6g. Release of the shoe can take place only
in a movement of pivotal displacement of said shoe about an axis
perpendicular to the pedal 2. During this movement, one of the
shouldered portions 6f, 6g is thrust forward as a result of the
elasticity of the piano wire which constitutes the front anchoring
member 6.
While the cyclist is pedaling and when the shoe exerts an upward
tractive force, this force is transmitted by the rear recess 4d and
the front recess 4f, respectively to the central arm 5e and to the
kink 6e by applying at these points upwardly directed forces as
indicated by the arrows f in FIG. 2. These forces f result in
horizontal forces f1 which are directed toward each other and tend
to draw the two anchoring members 5 and 6 toward each other and
therefore to increase the application of pressure of the shoe on
the pedal.
In the alternative embodiment of the invention which is illustrated
in FIGS. 8 and 9, the sole of the shoe no longer carries a single
longitudinal retaining strip 4 but is adapted to carry instead two
separate retaining hooks, namely a rear retaining hook 8 and a
front retaining hook 9 which are spaced in the longitudinal
direction at the distance a between the central portions 5e and 6e
of the two retaining members. The rear retaining hook 8 is provided
in its rear face with a rearwardly directed recess 8a and the front
retaining hook 9 is provided in its front face with a recess 9a
beneath which extends a nose 9b delimited by a downwardly and
rearwardly inclined bottom face 9c. The recesses 8a and 9a perform
exactly the same function as the recesses 4d and 4f of the
retaining strip 4. In this form of construction, the sole 1
preferably has a longitudinal rib 1a which extends between the two
retaining hooks 8, 9 in order to prevent the front portion of the
pedal from engaging behind the front retaining hook 9. Said rib 1a
has the same thickness as the other sole treads and the retaining
hooks 8, 9 so as to permit normal walking on the soles.
Furthermore, a lateral clearance space 1b is provided in the sole
over the entire width of this latter and in front of the front
retaining hook 9.
In the alternative embodiment of the invention as illustrated in
FIG. 10, the portion 7b of the body 7 of the pedal located on the
off-side of the bicycle advantageously has an outer face 7d which
is downwardly and inwardly inclined in order to increase the ground
clearance of the pedal when the bicycle is inclined. Moreover, the
anchoring members are mounted so as to permit of longitudinal
adjustment on the body 7 and are locked in the desired position by
means of screws 11 screwed into the body 7.
Although in the embodiment of the invention which has been
described in the foregoing the pedal 2 is constituted by two
lengths of bent piano wire 5 and 6 which are rigidly fixed to a
pedal body 7 of molded plastic, it is readily apparent that, in an
alternative embodiment, the entire pedal 2 including the rear and
front anchoring points 5 and 6 could be formed of a single piece of
molded plastic.
The pedal 2 could also be fabricated from a single metal part
suitably die-stamped so as to constitute both the central body of
the pedal and the two front and rear anchoring members 5 and 6.
* * * * *